The King Has Returned
by TheForgottenPrincess
Summary: The time for The Once and Future King to return has arrived. Arthur and Merlin along with Camelot's remaining survivors must team up with Earth's mightiest heroes to save the day. What surprises lay in store for our team of heroes? Read to find out.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hello, and welcome to story time. I would like to say that I do not own Merlin nor do I own Marvel. Both belong to their respected owners. My updates will be random and they will be erratic, but I plan to finish this to the end. Well, on with the show.

"Are we sure that those surges of power came from here," Steve Rogers, AKA, Captain America, asked into his comms.

"Positive," Tony Stark, AKA, Iron man responded. "Every time we get near it all of our equipment goes haywire."

"Any idea what's causing it, cause night vision and thermal aren't picking up anything," Natasha Romanoff, AKA Black Widow, said as she surveyed the lake.

"I got nothing either. Maybe it's coming from that tower that's in the middle of the lake," Clint Barton, AKA Hawkeye, said from his perch in a tree.

"Possibly. With our equipment wigging out every time we get close, there's no way of knowing for certain," Bruce Banner, AKA Hulk, said as he tampered with a tablet.

"Our we positive Reindeer Games isn't back, because these reading are similar to his," Tony said.

"I don't think so. Thor would be here if that were the case," Steve said.

Steve, Natasha, and Clint were by the shore of the lake they were currently at while Tony and Bruce stayed in the Quinjet. Whenever Tony got close to the moonlit shore, his miniature Arc Reactor began to short out, making it hard for him to breath and caused him great pain.

"Unless we use a boat to get across this lake, I don't think we will learn what is causing the readings," Natasha said.

"My question is why someone would emit power levels similar to Loki," Bruce said as he studied all of the reading reports.

"Guys, we got another energy pulse coming, and it looks like it is a big one," Tony said as he stared at his monitor.

"Do you guys see anything?" Bruce asked as he looked up at Tony's screen.

"Negative, but we can feel it," Steve said as his skin tingled.

"What is causing this?" Natasha muttered, not liking that she couldn't see what could be a potential threat. Every instinct she had was screaming that something was going to happen soon and she didn't know if it was going to be dangerous or not. The unknowing was making her on edge and an on-edge Natasha was never good.

Tony groaned as his Reactor began flickering even though he was no where near the water. Bruce's eyes widened as he dropped the tablet and rushed over.

"Breathe, Tony. I know it hurts, but you need to breathe," Bruce said as he made Tony lean forward to open his airways more.

"The water is moving," Clint warned.

Bruce looked up to view their body cams. Through the live feed, he watched as the water rippled. Everyone watched as ripples moved out from the middle of the lake. What felt like raw power pulsed out in time with the ripples. Clint readied his bow, Natasha her guns, and Steve his shield for whatever appeared. After what seemed like minutes, the pulsing stopped and Tony could breathe again. No one said anything for a few minutes. Tony focused on breathing before raising up to check the monitors.

"Energy readings are dropping to nothing. Whatever is causing the energy waves is gone," Tony said breathlessly. "You guys see anything?"

"No. The water is still. Like you said, whatever was causing it is gone," Steve said.

"Hang on. I got movement on the west side of me," Clint suddenly whispered. "Looks to be one person. Can anyone confirm?"

"Affirmative. Male, early twenties, heading our way. Stay hidden, he may be the one causing this," Natasha responded as she looked through a pair of binoculars.

"Roger that," he responded.

Soon Steve and Natasha could hear near silent footfalls approaching. Deciding to appear non-threatening, Nat and Steve put away their weapons, but kept ready to get them if the need arose. A man with black hair, a lanky figure, and stunning blue eyes emerged from the trees. While his body looked young, his eyes were haunted. Shadowed. Old. Like Steve's when he thought about what happened before he went into the ice. The strange man paid no attention to Steve and Natasha as he walked by them, his eyes trained on the lake before them.

"Who are you?" Steve demanded. While he may be unarmed, he could still be dangerous.

The man stopped at the edge of the water and was silent. He almost appeared to be thoughtful yet hopeful as he stared out at the still water. Nat and Steve looked at one another before looking back at the young man.

"Tell us who you are," Natasha demanded harshly. With everything going on, she was not in a mood to even try and play nice.

"I've had many names over the years. Which one would you like to hear?" the man asked after a moment of silence.

"How about your birthname," Steve said.

"That is a name I have not used in a long while. My mother, many years ago, named me Merlin," he answered softly.

"Jarvis, run facial recognition," Tony said as he observed everything on the monitor.

"Running it now, Sir," Jarvis, Tony's AI responded.

"Are you the one who is responsible for the power surges?" Steve asked.

"No," Merlin said.

"Do you know who is?" Natasha asked.

"He's coming," Merlin said, hope clear in his voice.

"Who?" Steve asked.

"The Once and Future King," Merlin answered, his voice cracking slightly. He had been waiting for a very long time for this day to come.

"Any idea who that is?" Bruce asked Tony.

"Not a clue," Tony responded. "J, we got a hit on facial recognition yet?"  
"Multiple form several time periods," Jarvis responded.

"Come again?" Bruce asked.

"Show me," Tony said.

Instantly, paintings and picture both black and white and in color popped up onto a screen. Sure enough, this Merlin character popped up in almost every time period over the last thousand years.

"My god. How is this possible?" Bruce asked.

"Time machine? Cryohibernation? Reincarnation?" Tony suggested. "Be careful everyone. This guy is wild card."

"We got movement on the water again," Clint announced over the comms.

"Switching over to thermal camera," Tony said.

A lone figure appeared on the lake. He looked like he was walking on water. Tony couldn't make out any distinguishable figures.

"Arthur," Merlin breathed.

"You boys are not going to believe this," Natasha said in slight amusement.

"What is it?" Tony asked.

"We have a male, mid to late twenties, blond hair and blue eyes, wearing a cape and chainmail of all things. Not to mention he is walking on water," Nat said.

"What is he, a Renaissance Jesus?" Tony asked incredulously.

Natasha and Steve in silence as the strange man came closer. The moonlight gleamed against the armor and chainmail he wore. They could barely make out glimpse of a coat of arms on his billowing cape. He looked… regal. The blond stopped in front of Merlin at the edge of the shoreline and stared at him with an unreadable expression. Then he smiled and pulled Merlin into a fierce hug. Merlin seemed sag in relief as he wrapped his arms around his newly returned king.

"It's good to see you, my old friend," the man said as he pulled away from Merlin.

"Not as good as it is to see you," Merlin replied, his voice rough.

Everyone watched the two in silence, both slightly confused and wary at the same time, before they turned back to face the pair and Nat spoke.

"Would one of you like to explain what the hell is going on?" she demanded. "Who are you?"

Merlin and the stranger look at Nat in slight surprise. Merlin, in his excitement, forgot about their audience.

"Who are you?" the blond asked.

"I believe I asked you first?" Nat snarled.

"Arthur! Play nice," Merlin hissed.

"I'm the king, _Mer_ lin. You don't tell me what to do," Arthur hissed back.

"I can when you're being a dollaphead," Merlin responded.

"I can still throw you in the stocks," Arthur responded.

"The stocks don't exist anymore," Merlin said, his tone no longer joking. "Before we get into what all has changed, I believe it would be best to introduce yourself."

"I am Arthur Pendragon, King of Camelot," Arthur responded.

"Camelot doesn't exist. Try again," Nat said.

"I assure you it exists," Merlin said. "Most of its history has been lost to time. Geoffry of Monmouth's recounting hasn't always been accurate either."

"They could be telling the truth. Scholars have been debating whether or not Camelot actually existed for years," Bruce said.

"How can you prove it?" Steve asked.

"Simple. I'll take you there," Merlin said.

"Camelot still stands?" Arthur asked, hopeful.

"In a way," Merlin said nervously.

"What do you mean, 'In a way'?" Arthur asked dangerously.

"You'll see. A lot has changed since you've been gone, sire," Merlin said softly.

"Merlin," Arthur began hesitantly as he stepped onto the shore. "How long have I been gone?"

Merlin's face became sorrowful and haunted at the question.

"1,500 years, I'm afraid," Merlin answered sadly.

Arthur paled drastically.

"Have you been alive all this time?" he asked in shock.

Merlin nodded his head as Arthurs face took on a green tint.

"That explains all the hits we got," Tony muttered.

"You must have been so lonely," Arthur said.

"I had my moments," Merlin admitted. "But I got to see what you and Gwen created flourish and I wouldn't have traded that for anything."  
"What happened after I died?" Arthur asked.

"Why don't I explain while we walk? And why don't you guy have your friend in the tree and the two in the jet come join us?" Merlin asked.

The Avengers all felt a flash of shock before shaking it off. So far, the men didn't seem too dangerous, but Nat could kill them before they could blink. But just in case, Tony commanded Jarvis to tap into a few satellites to keep track of where they were and to contact Fury if something were to happen.

"Follow me," Merlin said once everyone had gathered.

"How did you know where we were?" Clint asked as they set off into the forest surrounding the lake.

"Magic," Merlin said with a cheeky smile.

"Magic is just science that hasn't been explained yet," Tony said while Clint tensed.

"Whatever floats your boat," Merlin said. "Your grandfather was much more open minded than you seem to be. You must have inherited that from your grandmother. Let me tell you that woman was a huge skeptic to anything that was different."

"You knew my grandparents?" Tony asked, surprised.

"Yes. Not well mind you. I only met them only a handful of times, but they were nice folks," Merlin responded.

"How far away is Camelot?" Steve asked.

"Only a couple of hours walk," Merlin answered.

"Why couldn't we have taken the jet?" Clint asked as he duked under a low hanging branch.

"Because the shield around the castle would cause the jet to crash and there is not a clearing big enough for the jet to land close by," he answered honestly. "There use to be, but once Kilgharrah passed the clearing began to get overgrown with trees and other vegetation.

"Kilgharrah?" Arthur asked.

"Oh…" Merlin said, looking pained. "Promise that you will stay calm, ok?"  
"Merlin, who is Kilgharrah?" Arthur asked sternly as he stopped in his tracks.

"Kilgharrah was the dragon who attacked Camelot," Merlin explained softly.

"The dragon I slew?"

"You actually didn't kill him. You were knocked unconscious and I sent him away," Merlin admitted.

"You did _what?_ " Arthur asked in anger.

"We were falling asleep. I knew I needed to break the spell Morgause had cast, so I made a deal with him. He would tell me how to break the curse, and I would set him free from where he was confined," Merlin said sadly.

"Where was he being held?" Arthur asked, his curiosity overpowering his anger.

"Your father imprisoned Kilgharrah in the caves under Camelot during the Purge," Merlin explained.

"If he was so hell-bent on getting revenge for being locked up for so long, how did you send him away?" Arthur asked.

"You remember when we went looking for Balinor?"

"Strange names," Tony muttered to Bruce who in turn shushed him.

"Of course," Arthur answered.

"Turns out he was my father, so when he died…" Merlin trailed off.

"You became the last Dragon Lord," Arthur said. "And I told you no man is worth your tears."

"You didn't know," Merlin said with an old smile.

"What the hell is a Dragon Lord?" Clint asked in slight irritation.

"A Dragon Lord is a man who is able to communicate and command a dragon," Merlin explained.

"Dragons don't exist," Clint argued.

"Neither are Norse gods like Thor and Loki," Merlin deadpanned.

"Touché," Tony replied.

"You will be meeting a dragon when we reach Camelot," Merlin said cheerfully.

"One still lives?" Arthur asked, surprised.

"Yes, although you may not be too happy when you see her," Merlin winced.

"What do you mean?" Arthur asked.

"Aithusa was the dragon who bonded with Morgana and helped her in the final battle at Camlann," Merlin said.

Arthur's face darkened at the mention of his estranged half-sister. Merlin looked sad and the Avengers looked confuse. No one said anything for while as they resumed their peaceful walk and enjoyed the scenery. Or in Arthurs case, see what all has changed. It was mid-morning by the time they got close to Camelot. Arthur was getting excited as he began to recognize his surroundings.

"We're here," Merlin said as he broke through the tree line.

"There's nothing here," Nat said with a dangerous look.

Where Camelot once stood was now just a giant clearing. Arthur felt a twinge of anger at being lied to once more by his former manservant. But then he had a thought.

"You hid it, didn't you?" Arthur asked.

"Yes," Merlin said.

"Why? Why would hide a historical city?" Bruce asked.

"One, because I knew Arthur would need a familiar place after being gone for so long. Two, because I could never bare seeing my home being lost to time, so I preserved it. And three, Gwen asked me to," Merlin said.

Sorrow filled Arthur at the thought of his late wife. He pushed those thoughts aside.

"Did she have a god life?" Arthur asked.

"She's still alive," Merlin said.

Arthur whipped around so fast to stare at Merlin that the team wondered if he gave himself whiplash.

"She's alive?! How?" Arthur asked, gripping Merlin's shoulders.

"She and a few others are alive. When Gwen asked me to protect Camelot, she begged me to preserve her and the others," Merlin said with a big smile. "To make sure nothing disturbed my shield, Aithusa stays close by to protect everyone."

"Nothing makes for a better guard dog than a dragon," Steve joked.

"Exactly," Merlin said in agreement. He looked pointedly at Arthurs hands that were still gripping his shoulders in a tight grip. "Arthur, I need my hands to create a door inside the shield."

Arthur quickly let go of Merlin and took a step back. Merlin raised his hand and his eyes turned gold. Arthur felt a flash of fear at the sight but it quickly passed.

A/N: That's it for the first chapter. I hope you guys like it. Please leave a review and let me know how you liked it.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Welcome to chapter 2. I own nothing. If I did, I would be a very rich and happy cookie.

Slowly the air rippled as the faint outline of the arches that lead into the citadel appeared. Arthur could barely hold in his excitement as Merlin lead everyone inside.

"Whoa," Bruce breathed.

"Everything is perfectly preserved," Arthur said in happiness.

"Gwen and the knights and Gaius are sleeping in the throne room," Merlin said as they walked up the white castle stairs.

Merlin turned around and his eyes turned gold again as he shut the door that they had entered through. The shield around Camelot made the Avengers think of a giant window that you could see out of, but not into. They observed the beautiful structure as they made their way into the throne room. Even though it was daylight, torches and candles were lit, giving off a warm, orange glow. Eventually they came to a set of double wooden doors. Merlin gave Arthur a small smile before opening the door. Arthur's breath was stolen from him as he gazed upon his wife who lay in the middle of his trusted knights and one stranger. At the sight of an unknown woman, Arthur turned to face Merlin.

"Her name is Sarah. She came to Camelot a few weeks after you died. She found Percival standing on the edge of a balcony debating on if he should jump," Merlin said with a small frown.

"Percy wanted to kill himself?" Arthur asked in shock.

"Yes. Between losing Lancelot, then you and Gwaine in one day, he was lost. She talked him out of it though and Gwen immediately offered her a place within the castle. After she scolded Percy first," Merlin said, chuckling at the memory. Gwen may be smaller than Percival, but she could be very formidable when angered.

Arthur walked over to the bed that Gwen was sleeping on. Her face was peaceful, but Arthur could see a few new stress lines. It made his heart sad to see what had happened to his beautiful Guinevere. Arthur felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Merlin.

"Ready to be reunited with everyone?" he asked.

"Yes," Arthur responded, moving away.

Merlin held out his hands over everyone. A blue light emanated from his hands for a few seconds before putting them back down by his sides. Within moments, everyone began to stir. The first to awake was Sarah. She sprang up with a loud gasp, her eyes opening and glowing gold. Arthur turned to face Merlin, his eyebrow raised.

"Did I forget to mention she has magic?" Merlin asked sheepishly.

"You forgot, didn't you?" Arthur deadpanned.

"I'm old! My memory isn't what it used to be," Merlin joked.

"Don't be a girl's petticoat," Arthur shot back.

"Prat."

"Simpleton."

"Cabbagehead."

"Dollophead."

"Hey! That's my word you arrogant ass!"

"Merlin, I'm the king I can do whatever I please."

"God they bicker like an old married couple," Tony said.

"Do we do that?" Steve asked Tony, turning to face him.

"Yes," the rest of the team members answered.

"Boys, that's quite enough," a female voice said in exasperation.

Merlin and Arthur turned to face the woman. Sarah was very beautiful. She had warm brown eyes, long brown hair, and tanned skin that showed she spent a lot of time in the sun. She wore a simple dress that showed she wasn't wealthy, but she held her head up high. Sarah swung her legs over the side of the bed, and stood up. Well, tried to anyway. The moment she stood, her legs buckled underneath her. Luckily Merlin was close enough to catch her before she hit the ground.

"Easy. You've been asleep for a long time. You need to take it slow," Merlin said as he helped her sit back down.

"How long is a long time?" Percival's groggy voice asked.

"1,500 years. Give or take a few decades," Merlin responded.

"Damn. No wonder my body feels like lead," Leon sounded.

"At least you're young. Try being my age," came Gaius' voice from one of the dark alcoves by where the thrones used to be.

"Why is men always seem to complain the moment they awake?" Gwen asked as she sat up with a yawn.

"Because we are just children stuck in an adult's body," Tony said.

"Fair point," Sarah chuckled.

"Hey, not all of us are like that," Arthur argued.

"You complain more than anyone I've ever met." Merlin stated.

" _Merlin_ ," Arthur growled.

"Shut up?" Merlin asked with a nostalgic smile.

"You guessed it," Arthur said.

"Arthur," Gwen breathed.

Tears gathered in her eyes as she stared at her once dead husband. The hole that seemed to have taken the place of her heart began to dissipate at the sight of him standing in front of her. Looking the same as he did the day she last saw him. He knelt in front of her as she swung her legs over the side. He placed a hand on the side of her face. She leaned into it, smiling in relief and happiness.

"I missed you," Arthur said in a whisper.

"Not as much as I missed you," Gwen responded.

"And probably not as much as Merlin missed all of us," Sarah said as she attempted to stand again.

"What did I tell you about taking it slow?" Merlin asked as she once again fell onto her bed.

"Eh, you know me. Sometimes you gotta run before you can walk," she said a little breathlessly.

"That's what I say all the time," Tony said as he approached everyone.

"That still makes no sense," Natasha said.

"What on earth are you wearing?" Leon asked as he took in the new people.

"It's called a uniform," Merlin said. "Times have changed. Women don't really wear dresses anymore unless it is for a special occasion."

"You mean I no longer have to wear a dress?" Sarah asked.

"Nope. You could wear jeans or shorts if you preferred," Nat said.

"Sweet," Sarah said with a smile. "Would one of you be a gentlemen and help me up real quick? My legs don't seem to be cooperating with me."

Steve, ever the gentleman, offered her his arm. She took it with a smile, and was able to stand. She took slow, baby steps over to Percival's bed.

"Thank you," she said as she sat down next to the gentle giant.

"You're welcome, Ma'am," Steve said as moved back to stand with the others.

"Hey," Sarah said as she turned to face Percy with a smile.

"Hey," he responded with a smile of his own.

Perce reached up and cradled Sarah's face softly. She raised her own hand to hold his against her face. She leaned down and pressed her forehead to his and closed her eyes. Even though they hadn't known each other for very long, they strongly connected with one another. They both had lost people they were close to and loved. They had barely told each other they cared for one another before they went to sleep.

"Merlin, come help me up," Gaius demanded.

"I've gone from an independent adult back to apprentice within two seconds," Merlin said under his breath with a happy smile. "Coming."

A/N: That's all for chapter 2. Chapter 3 should be here soon. I hope. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed it, please leave a review and let me know what you think. Bye bye!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I am back at it again with Chapter 3. So I completely forgot to mention that the only person in this thing that I own is my character Sarah is currently with our favorite gentle giant, Percival. Enough of my rambling, and please excuse my typos and whatnot. I have no beta. So on with the show.

After everyone in the throne room had been introduced to one another, they got down to business.

"Arthur has returned for a reason. That reason hasn't been revealed to us yet, but I assume it will show itself soon," Merlin said.

"What do you mean?" Steve asked.

"A long time ago the druids gave a prophecy that spoke of the Once and Future King who, with the help Emrys, the most powerful warlock known to man, would unite the land of Albion and bring about a peace never before seen," Sarah said. She and Percy were sitting upright and were holding hands. "Merlin is Emrys and Arthur is the Once and Future King."

"Before Arthur died, we almost succeeded in gaining peace. The only ones who stood in our way were Morgana and those who allied themselves to her," Merlin said.

"How did you die?" Clint asked. "And how did you come back?"

"I was mortally wounded during the battle of Camlaan. I was stabbed by Mordred and a piece of his blade broke off and was slowly making its way to my heart," Arthur said.

"That sounds familiar," Tony muttered to himself.

"Who's Mordred?" Bruce asked.

"Mordred was a druid. We first met him when he was a child. I was getting supplies for Gaius when I heard him pleading for help. When he saw me, he called me Emrys. I knew he was magic because he was speaking with his mind. Before, I had no idea the druids referred to me as Emrys. Anyway, I snuck him into the castle. Morgana, before she turned evil, helped care and hide him. We tried sneaking him out once but was caught by Arthur. Arthur then helped Mordred escape. Arthur, you asked me why I took so long to meet you at the gate. The reason why I was late was because I almost let you get caught. Kilgharrah had warned me that Mordred if left alone to wander, he would one day become an enemy of you and I. But he was just a child. In the end, I couldn't let Uther kill a child," Merlin said with a frown.

"Why did he turn on you?" Nat asked.

"Because Arthur executed a girl he fancied. Her name was Kara. She too was a druid, but she was determined to kill Arthur. She was charged with treason and hung. Mordred went to Morgana and formed an alliance with her," Merlin answered.

"Why did Morgana turn evil?" Bruce asked.

"Uther mainly. And me. Morgana was a Seer. A powerful one too. She often suffered from nightmares because of it. Her powers became too strong for Gaius to control with a sleeping draft and they began lashing out due to her fear. She figured out she had magic and had to live in constant fear of what she could do beig discovered. And because I listened to Gaius and Kilgharrah, I never told her I had magic. So she had to deal with everything on her own. But what really turned her away was when I poisoned her. I had no choice. Morgause cast an anchoring spell on Morgana. When everyone fell asleep she was the only one awake. So I went to Kilgharrah and asked what to do. He told me she was the one who was anchoring the spell and the only way to break it was to kill her. You have no idea how painful it was to kill her. She was my friend and I poisoned her! I held her as she struggled to breathe, her eyes confused and betrayed. When Morgause came in, I told her to lift the spell and I would tell her what poison I used. During the year she was gone, I have no doubt that Morgause poisoned her mind," Merlin explained.

"Who was Kilgharrah?" Gwen asked.

Merlin quickly explained who Kilgharrah was, which reminded Merlin that he never explained how and why Arthur returned.

"You asked how Arthur came back. When Arthur was wounded, I tried to use a few healing spells on him, but they didn't work. I've never been good at them. So Gaius told me to go to the lake of Avalon and ask the Triple Goddess for help. It was a two day journey, and Arthur only had two days to live. It was a hard two days. I never told Arthur about my magic until he was injured. He was mad and very distrustful for the first part of our journey. Things got better after we talked. We were almost to Avalon when Morgana attacked. She scared off our horses and almost stabbed Arthur again before I ran her through with Excaliber. Arthur collapsed before we made it to the lake. In my desperation, I called for Kilgharrah. We flew the rest of the way to Avalon. I didn't want to believe that Arthur was gone before we made it to the water. Kilgharrah was there to give me one last prophecy as I held onto Arthur's body. He told me that when Albion's need was greatest, Arthur would return. So I waited a very long time. Everytime a big war broke out, I hoped he would return. I've watched empires rise and fall. I thought for sure when that portal opened up in New York he would come back. Or even again when the Convergence happened. Whatever is coming is going to be bad. Very bad. Arthur returning isn't the only sign," Merlin said.

"He's right. The very earth is trembling. I can feel the magic crying out in warning," Sarah said.

"You can feel magic?" Arthur asked.

"Yes. I'm an elemental witch. Which means my magic comes from the very earth. Similar to Merlin, only Merlin is magic itself. Meaning he has no limit to what he can do. I can only do spells that deal with the elements," Sarah explained.

"Interesting," Bruce said.

"She may not be able to do what I can do, but her magic is as strong as mine," Merlin said.

Tony pulled out his phone and began to frantically type. Within moments, he hacked into SHIELD's pathetic firewalls.

"Again?" Steve asked.

"Yup. So far, Eyepatch has no Apocalypse warning. More than likely we are going to get absolutely no warning about this threat," Tony said. "I'll try other agencies to be sure, but who knows."

"What are you holding?" Gaius asked.

"He's holding a cell phone. You use to communicate with others, research documents on the internet, a lot of things," Merlin said. "I'll get you one and show you how to use it. I'll also get you a few medical journals so you can see how much medical practices have changed."

"If you want, I can help. I may not be a medical doctor, but I know enough to help with the basics," Bruce offered.

"That would be great. Tell me, do physicians know a days still use herbs?" Gaius asked.

Bruce sat next to Gaius on Sarah's empty bed and soon they were discussing medical jargon. Steve, Tony, and Clint began speaking with Arthur, Merlin, and Leon about battle strategies and training. Gwen, Sarah, Nat, and Percival began talking about women's rights.

Sarah for the most part was intrigued. She had never been much of a fighter. Now she knows how to defend herself, but she would rather not fight, due to her being an Empath. She hadn't told anyone yet because she was not ready to be treated differently yet. Empaths were rare and were treated like glass. She wasn't fragile, but fighting and being able to feel your opponents pain wasn't pleasent. Sarah tuned out everything around her, and focused on what everyone was feeling. Which ranged from relief, to contentment, to pain. Physical pain.

"Who's injured?" Sarah asked.

All conversation stopped as they turned to face her. She thought she may as well tell them now.

"One of you is in pain. Who?" Sarah asked again.

"No one is injured," Steve said with a confused frown.

"I'm an Empath. One of you is experiencing chest pains," Sarah said as she rubbed her chest.

"You're and Empath?" Merlin and Gaius asked at the same time as Tony asked "You can feel this?"

Tony placed a hand over his Arc Reactor in shock. Sarah nodded her head at both questions.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Merlin asked.

"You know why. I didn't want to be treated any differently than before," Sarah said. "I was already different due to my magic. No need to make it any worse. Besides, I'm telling you now. How do you even breathe with this pain?"

"I've had it for so long, I've grown used to it," Tony answered.

"Would you like me to heal you?" Sarah asked.

"I'm afraid you won't be able to. I have shrapnel trying to get to my heart. This ball of light stops it. Doctors aren't able to remove it," Tony said.

"Do you want me to try?" Sarah asked.

"She could do it. Elemental magic can heal almost anything," Gaius said.

Tony looked thoughtful for a few moments before he nodded. "Ok. Let's do it."

"Stark, are you sure about this?" Steve asked in concern.

"Yeah. More sure than anything else," Tony answered.

Percy and Sarah stood up from the bed. Sarah gestured for Tony to lay down. He sighed and made his way over to the empty bed.

"Remove your shirt before you lay down, please," Sarah said.

Tony hesitated slightly before complying. When the shirt came off, the Avengers all gave a soft hiss at the sight of Tony's scarred chest around the Arc Reactor. When he laid down, Sarah began to softly trace her hands around the Arc Reactor and over the scars.

"Can you tell me how this happened?" Sarah asked.

"I was in Afghanistan. A bomb went off in front of me. I was kidnapped and brought to a cave where another hostage had to operate on me. He removed as much shrapnel as possible, but wasn't able to get it all. He ended up removing part of my sternum and some of my ribs in order to put in an electromagnet to keep what was left from shredding my heart. It was powered by a car battery until I could make the Reactor," Tony explained.

"Interesting. I've never tried to regrow bones before, so this should be interesting. Does anyone have any water?" Sarah asked looking up.

Nat pulled out a bottle of water from seemingly nowhere. She untwisted the cap and held it out to her.

"One day you need to show me how you do that," Tony said.

"I may if you're lucky," Nat said with a smile.

Sarah's brown eyes turned gold and flew out of the bottle and into her hands. She then placed her water covered hands over his chest and began to silent ask Mother Earth to help her heal the man under her hands. Everyone watched as Sarah's hands glowed a soft blue. Tony sagged in relief as the constant pain in his chest receeded. Slowly the scars began to disappear, and the metal inside of Tony's body began to come out.

Bruce moved closer to watch it all happen. "Is it painful?"

"No. For the first time since Afghanistan, I feel no pain whatsoever," Tony said, happy.

As she began to heal the bones, Sarah's hair began to turn white. It was strange, watching dark brown hair turn white. It started at her roots and flowed down her hair like water.

"Are you ok?" Percival asked Sarah. He was standing next to her, but refrained from touching her in case he broke her concentration.

"Yeah. I'm ok. It's just taking longer than expected," Sarah responded.

Soon the Arc Reactor, its chamber, and the shrapnel was all out. Once his chest was intact, the water was absorbed into Tony's body. Her hands stopped glowing and took a few steps back.

"How do you feel?" Clint asked.

"Like I could run all around the world," Tony said as he sat up. He took a deep breath and wanted to laugh when he felt no pain. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Sarah said as her eyes and hair went back to normal.

"Sarah?" Merlin asked.

"What?" Sarah responded.

"You're nose is bleeding," Percy said in alarm.

Sarah raised a hand to her nose and felt something wet. Sure enough, there was blood on her hand.

"Earth's magic has been tainted," Sarah said.

"Am I going to be ok?" Tony asked.

"Yes. What I used to heal you with was pure. Think of me as a filter. Whatever was tainted had to come out of me some way," Sarah said as she wiped the blood away.

"I'm not surprised you could feel the taint. Humanity hasn't cared very much about nature as discoveries have been made," Merlin said.

Sarah nodded. Before she could say anything though, a small growling sound echoed through the room. Everyone looked at Arthur as his face tinged pink.

"Was that...you're stomach?" Clint asked.

"Glad to see some things never change," Gwen chuckled.

"Good god. I thought that was Steve's stomach," Tony joked.

"Steve's stomach is much louder," Nat said.

Not even two seconds later a much louder growl was heard and it was Steve's turn to go pink.

"See?"

Clint lost it and hit the ground laughing so hard he had tears coming out of his eyes. Tony wasn't far behind him while Bruce was trying to keep from laughing. Nat just shook her head at the boys.

Merlin just smiled. "Give me about 30 minutes and I will get everyone some food."

"I'll help," Tony said between gasps.

"Alright, lets go," Merlin said.

And so Tony composed himself and followed Merlin out of the castle.

A/N: That's the end of Chapter 3. I don't know when I'll get Chapter 4 done, but I will do it as soon as possible. Until next time, my dear readers. Remember to leave a review if you liked it.


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